Cigarette package



March 8, 1966 HQLSQMBACH 3,239,099

CIGARETTE PACKAGE Filed July 16, 1963 I l l l l I /B\E INVENTOR.

JAM/:5 Mf/V/I OLSUMEACH United States Patent 3,239,099 CIGARETTE PACKAGEJames Nolen Holsombach, 13210 Boca Ciega Ave., Madeira Beach, Fla. FiledJuly 16, 1963, Ser. No. 295,351 1 Claim. (Cl. 221232) This inventionrelates to a cigarette package wherein upward movement of a tabdepending from the package pushes a cigarette, or cigarettes, upwardlyfrom the upper end of the package to facilitate gripping the cigarette,and also wherein cigarettes in the package are urged toward one side ofthe package and to a position above the tab by springs in the package.

The purpose of this invention is to facilitate removing cigarettes froma cigarette package.

In numerous instances cigarettes have been removed from a package byshaking the package so that the cigarettes will be aligned with anopening torn in a corner of a cigarette package, and in other instancescigarettes have been urged upwardly by mashing the lower corner of apackage. However, in either case the cigarettes are damaged, andsometimes destroyed.

With these thoughts in mind the present invention contemplates acigarette package having resilient means therein for urging cigarettestoward one side of the package, and also having a projecting tab at onecorner for urging cigarettes of the package through a cigarettedispensing opening in the package to facilitate gripping cigarettes inremoving the cigarettes from the package.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide elevating meansin a package of cigarettes to facilitate removing cigarettes from thepackage.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a tab forejecting cigarettes from a package in which the tab is installed in apackage of cigarettes without enlarging the package.

A further object of the invention is to provide means in a package ofcigarettes having ejecting means therein, for urging the cigarettestoward the ejecting means.

A still further object is to provide a cigarette package having meansfor ejecting cigarettes therein in which the ejecting means is of simpleand economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionembodies a cigarette package having a cigarette ejecting tab extendedfrom one end, with resilient means for retaining the tab in position,and also with resilient means for urging cigarettes in the packagetoward said ejecting means.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a package of cigarettes withpart broken away illustrating a tab for ejecting cigarettes from thepackage and also showing springs for urging cigarettes toward a positionabove the tab, the tab being shown in a folded position against thebottom .of the package in dotted lines.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 showing amodification wherein the springs are omitted.

FIGURE 3 is an edge elevational view of a cigarette package showing theejector extending downwardly and cigarettes extended upwardly, from theupper end of the package, in dotted lines.

FIGURE 4 is a view looking upwardly toward the lower end of a package ofcigarettes showing a slot in which the ejector is positiond.

FIGURE 5 is a view looking downwardly upon the upper end of a cigarettepackage showing the upper corner of the package broken away, which isconventional,

FIGURE 6 is a sectional plan through the lower portion 3,239,099Patented Mar. 8, 1966 "ice of a package of cigarettes, taken on line 66of FIG- URE 1, illustrating the tab.

While several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the abovereferred to drawings, it is to be understood that they are merely forthe purpose of illustration and that various changes in construction maybe resorted to in the course of manufacture in order that the inventionmay be utilized to the best advantage according to circumstances whichmay arise, without in any manner departing .from the spirit andintention of the device, which is to be limited only in accordance withthe appended claim. And while there is stated the primary field ofutility of the invention it remains obvious that it may be employed inany other capacity wherein it may be found applicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, thesame reference characters are used to designate the same parts andelements throughout, and in which the numeral 10 represents a cigarettepackage, of conventional size and design, and in use one corner of thepackage is torn away providing an opening 11 through which cigarettes 12are ejected, as indicated by the dotted lines 13. As shown in FIGURES 1and 2, the cigarettes are ejected by a tabe 14, which depends from oneend of a horizontal strip 15, and extends through a slot 16 in one end17 of the package. The opposite end 18 of the strip 15 extends upwardlysubstantially to a point 19 for anchoring the tab in the package. Tofacilitate packaging and shipping, the tab 14 may be folded against thebottom 17 of the package, as indicated by the dotted lines 20.

The cigarette package may be provided with loop springs 21 and 22anchored to the wall 23 opposite to the wall 24 at the lower end ofwhich the tab 14 is positioned, at the points 25 and 26, and ascigarettes are used from the package, the remaining cigarettes are urgedto positions above the tab 14 by the springs.

In the modification illustrated in FIGURE 2, the springs 21 and 22 areomitted, and a tab 27, similar to the tab 14, depends from an end of asection 28 of a spring member, and the opposite end of the section 28extends upwardly to a point 29, whereby the ejector is mounted in apackage 30.

In use the ejector is pressed upwardly as indicated by the dotted linesin FIGURE 1, forcing cigarettes from the upper end of the package.

With the parts assembled as illustrated and described the cigarettes ina package are urged toward positions above the ejector by the springs,and as the ejector 14 is pressed inwardly a cigarette is forcedupwardly, as shown by the dotted lines, so that the upper projecting endof the cigarette may be readily gripped, such as by the thumb andforefinger of a smoker, and the cigarette readily withdrawn.

As cigarettes are used from a package other cigarettes are urged toejecting positions above the ejector by the springs.

Although the device is described as being particularly adapted for acigarette package, it may also be incorporated in a cigarette case, asmay be desired.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that acigarette package constructed in accordance with this invention isparticularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience andfacility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will alsobe obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change andmodification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof,and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself tothe precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shownin carrying out my invention in practice, except as claimed.

Having now described the invention that which is claimed to be new anddesired to be procured by Letters Patent,

A cigarette package which comprises:

(a) a rectangular-shaped cigarette retaining case having four side wallsand two end walls and having a cigarette dispensing opening in one endand a slot in the opposite end,

(b) said slot being in alignment with said cigarette dispensing opening,

(c) an ejector mounted in the package adjacent the slot, one end of theejector being extended from the inside of said cigarette package throughsaid slot, said ejector being mounted to selectively extend from theslot and project through the end of the 'package or fold to a nestedposition against the outer surface of the package,

(d) spring means comprising loops having free ends poistioned within thepackage, one end of each spring being attached to said cigarette packagewith opposite ends of the loops free to slide providing flexibility inthe loops, said springs means positioned to urge cigarettes in thepackage to a dispensing position in alignment with said cigarettedispensing opening and slot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,226,591 5/1917Primavera et a1. 22160 1,286,809 12/1918 Shaw 221-60 2,257,584 9/1941Wyllie 221260 2,339,924 1/ 1944 Hadley 221-60 LOUIS J. DEMBO, PrimaryExaminer. RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner;

